City of Gonzales
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: December 5, 2022
FROM: Taven Kinison Brown, Community Development Director THROUGH: Carmen Gil, Interim City Manager
SUBJECT: Vista Lucia Development Progress Report
RECOMMENDATION
Receive a report from staff on the status of the Vista Lucia Specific Plan.
BACKGROUND
While much of the Council is familiar with the long history of the Specific Plan, it is staff’s intent now to keep the Council regularly informed of progress and the steps ahead.
REVIEW & ANALYSIS
There are many components and parallel tasks coming together that all will feed into the Specific Plan, the incorporation into City limits and the City’s jurisdiction. It is staff’s intent to keep the Council and client up to date on the steps and tasks underway in the next 3-4 month period. Presently in City review are the Administrative Draft Specific Plan, Development Agreement, key supporting studies, and the Environmental Impact Report.
Administrative Draft Specific Plan (ADSP) – We are at the tail end of Phase One of a two phase submittal of the Administrative Draft Specific Plan. Phase One is the submittal of an Administrative Draft Specific Plan with supporting information and studies. The City is to provide guidance to the applicant before the applicant has completed all elements and state required components of the Specific Plan. Staff is to return comments to Pembrook by December 9, 2022. Phase Two shall include all materials and information described in State law and the City’s Guidelines. Staff will provide review and feedback and the applicant will proceed to prepare a Draft Specific Plan.
AGENDA
ITEM
22 Development Agreement. The Development Agreement is basically a contract between the City and Developer (and subsequent parties in interest) to assure each other of the rules and regulations that apply to the processing of applications subject to the Specific Plan, such as how Affordable Housing will be provided, phased and administered, how Agricultural Mitigation will be implemented, when infrastructure will be provided with phased development, and how public facilities and services will be financed, among other components. Additional public benefits may also be agreed to between parties. The applicant submitted their first draft to the City on November 16, 2022. Staff is evaluating the proposal and will soon (January 2023) be gathering an internal review group to evaluate the applicant’s proposal and what the city-side of contract should be.
Key Supporting Studies. Underway are several Key Supporting Studies, several of which are necessary to become the foundations of companion documents and plans, such as a Water Supply Assessment, Fiscal Analysis (of development expected in the Sphere of Influence). These two studies will inform at least three “plans” that need to accompany the Specific Plan through its evaluation. • Water Supply Assessment (WSA). In progress for several years, the WSA provides an assessment of present industrial, commercial and residential water uses in the City, as well as the historic water uses in the eastern farmed areas adjacent to the City. The report analyses the City’s existing pumping and storage capacities, and anticipates future infill in the city’s industrial, commercial and residential areas, and anticipates the water uses of planed development projects.
City staff and our consulting engineer have prepared a formal response and direction to an administrative draft and have recently returned that to the Pembrook interests, Tuesday, November 22, 2022, to prepare the next iteration. When completed and returned to the City, staff will present the reports findings and conclusions to the City Council, expected in January 2023. • Willdan Fiscal Analysis of development expected in the Sphere of Influence areas. The City approved a consulting contract agreement with Willdan in 2019 to prepare an Annexation Fiscal Impact Report for the City of Gonzales (“City”). The contract also calls for Willdan support through coming County negotiations for tax sharing and for presentation before the Local Agency Formation Commission LAFCO). This Fiscal Impact Report will be used to support the City’s Property Tax Transfer Agreement with the County of Monterey (“County”) and/or analyze the results of such agreement. Presently, Department heads will be meeting on-line Thursday December 1, 2022, to discuss staffing and the operational needs of the Public Works Department, Planning, Recreation Administration, Police and Fire Divisions. Present status is that we are midway through the Phase One Feasibility Analysis. Phase Two of the contract is a formal Annexation Study.
Environmental Impact Report. Much of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR) has been outlined and numerous sections filled in, yet not completed; the reason being outstanding significant Key Supporting Studies, and the Development Agreement not yet being completed. Upon approval of the Water Supply Assessment (WSA) report (Pembrook/Zanjero), Fiscal Impact Analysis (Willdan), and Service and Infrastructure Impacts report (Willdan), the full “Project Description” for environmental review should be able to be completed. According to the City’s Specific Plan preparation guidelines (2008), both the Draft Environmental Impact Report and the Draft Specific Plan will be publicly circulated together for a minimum 45 day review period. Then public comments will be addressed in both documents and presented in workshops of the Planning Commission and City Council.
Staff will return in February to report progress and next steps. In the meanwhile, the City Council will receive a presentation on the Water Supply Assessment (WSA) and the status/conclusions of the fiscal Analyses. Additionally, staff continues to mature the Agricultural Mitigation Ordinance which will have requirements and standards to be wrapped into the Specific Plan and EIR.
How the Recommendation Supports the Vision
Gonzales will continue to be a safe, clean, family-friendly community, diverse in its heritage, and committed to working collaboratively to preserve and retain its small-town charm.
Explain: Staff is committed to working collaboratively with developers interested in pursuing developments within the City limits as well as the Sphere of Influence. A well done and wellimplemented specific plan, built upon the City’s General Plan will assure that Gonzales will continue to be a safe, clean, family-friendly community, diverse in its heritage, and retain its small-town charm.
Explain how the Recommendation Directly Implements the Mission The City Council and Staff of the City of Gonzales will realize our Vision by providing the leadership, commitment, and resources necessary to provide excellent services that enhance the quality of life of our diverse community.
Explain: The City has shown leadership and vision in its support of the Specific Plan developments, built upon the City’s General Plan. While most of the efforts to pay for City and consultant staff time have been funded through the two developers of potential specific plans, the City has been at the table to secure SB1 Grants and other financial resources to allow the City to hire consultants, such as Willdan to evaluate potential development in the sphere of influence.
City services will be delivered in a cost-effective, respectful and friendly manner to ensure the safety and well-being of the residents and the promotion of business, recreational, housing and employment opportunities in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Explain: This update to the City Council is meant to keep all apprised of the work underway, and the work ahead. Eventual approval of such specific plans will allow for the City to triple in population. As such, the Key Supporting Studies described above and the work on the Development Agreement, and Environmental Impact report are particularly focused on providing City services in a cost-effective, respective and friendly manner to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the new populations to come, without burden on the existing residents and the city/neighborhood-entered designs of the General Plan and specific plans promote and provide for new business, new recreation, housing and employment opportunities in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Strong fiscal policies allow us to provide appropriate infrastructure for:
• Public Safety X Yes No N/A
• Housing X Yes No N/A
• Recreation X Yes No N/A
• Environment X Yes No N/A
• Education X Yes No N/A
Explain: See Vision explanation above.
ALTERNATIVES
Receive staff report and provide comment and direction, if desired.
BUDGET IMPACT
With Reimbursement Agreements in place, the City is offsetting public costs through developer deposits.
Additional activities in support of developing new housing in the sphere areas are also supported by grants that the City has secured. City staff continues to scan for new grant opportunities to provide additional resources to these efforts.
CONCLUSION
Receive the staff report and provide comment and direction, if desired. Staff and the Pembrook development team will be available for comments and questions.